Joachim Gans

JoachimGans is renowned for being thefirst recorded Jew in North America.Gans, born in Prague, was a mining expert. His most dramatic scientific discovery was to reduce the time to purify a batch of copper ore from 16 weeks to just 4 days. Additionally, Gans was able to use the impurities removed from the copper ore in textile dyes. These discoveries along with the general body of his scientific work led to a degree of fame. Gans almost certainly served as the model for the heroic Jewish scientistJoabin, in Sir Francis Bacon's utopian novel, The New Atlantis. In 1584, Sir Walter Raleigh recruited him for an expedition to found a permanent settlement in theVirginia Territoryofthe New World (they founded Roanoke Colony, off the coast of North Carolina). Because the Royal Mining Company failed to resupply the colonists, they accepted an offer from Drake in 1586 to sail them to England Each ofthe colonists, including Gans, left North America. Gans moved to the town ofBristol where he gave Hebrew lessons to English gentlemen who wanted to read the biblein its original tongue. He was later tried for blasphemy – the trial results and future history ofGans are unknown.